A check out stand is a station at which a customer in a store, such as a grocery store, unloads the items he or she intends to purchase, i.e., groceries, a register clerk scans or enters the prices of the items, the customer pays for the items, and a clerk bags, in some cases, the items and places the bags in a cart. A number of check out stands are usually lined along the exit of the store so that multiple customers can assemble their items and purchase them on the way out of the store.
One design of a check out stand includes a front module upon which the customer unloads groceries or other items. A scanner and register are located at the trailing end of the front module. The front module usually includes a conveyor, called an "accumulation conveyor," for conveying the groceries toward the scanner and the cash register. A register clerk lifts each of the items from the accumulation conveyor and either scans the item across the scanner, or manually enters the price and stock number information in the cash register. The scanned items are placed on a second conveyor, called a "take-away conveyor," that extends to a rear module. The take-away conveyor deposits the scanned items at the trailing end of the rear module, where a bagging clerk places each of the scanned items into bags.
In normal operation of a check out stand, such as is described above, the leading edge of the take-away conveyor extends from the trailing edge of the scanner such that a constant surface is formed between the accumulation conveyor, the scanner, and the take-away conveyor. This arrangement is convenient for the register clerk, allowing him or her to quickly scan and pass a large amount of items. For ease of description, the configuration and operation in which the take-away conveyor extends from the trailing edge of the scanner will be called "scan-and-pass."
A large number of grocery stores are reducing their work force by eliminating the need for a separate bagging clerk during slower periods of business or at check out stands where a limited number of items are purchased. When a separate bagging clerk is not used, the register clerk both scans and bags the groceries. For maximal efficiency, it is desirable for the register clerk to bag the groceries as they are scanned. To provide this service, some prior art check out stands include a take-away conveyor having a leading end which is movable away from the trailing end of the scanner. Withdrawal of the take-away conveyor exposes an area located beneath the leading end of the conveyor. The exposed area includes a support shelf for use in bagging groceries and other items. If the take-away conveyor is partially withdrawn, a single bag can be inserted between the leading end of the take-away conveyor and the trailing end of the scanner. In this arrangement, the register clerk may reach over the single bag and place items on the take-away conveyor, or bag items in the single bag. For ease of description, the configuration and operation in which the take-away conveyor is in this intermediate position will be called "scan-and-bag."
The take-away conveyor is designed to be further retracted to provide access to a pass-through via which the register clerk may access the customer's cart to load filled bags. For ease of description, the configuration and operation in which the take-away conveyor is completely retracted so that the register clerk may pass will be called "walk-through."
The prior art provides at least two ways of withdrawing the take-away conveyor from the trailing edge of the scanner. In a first check out stand design, the take-away conveyor is mounted so it can slide into a recess in the rear module. The register clerk pulls the take-away conveyor forward to the scanner to perform scan-and-pass operation, and pushes the take-away conveyor backward into the recess to perform the scan-and-bag or the walk-through operations.
There are a number of problems with a manually-operated retractable, take-away conveyor. First, the manually-operated retractable conveyor is often heavy and difficult to move in or out of the rear module. Thus, the register clerk may not take advantage of the reconfigurable aspects of the check out stand. In addition, in the scan-and-pass position, the trailing end of the take-away conveyor is removed from the trailing end of the rear module, leaving a large portion of the rear module recess exposed. Typically, a cover plate extends over a portion of the recess to minimize the exposed area. Items moving along the take-away conveyor when it is in the scan-and-pass position are deposited onto the leading edge of the cover plate. This leading edge is removed from the back end of the rear module by a length that is at least as long as the slide of the take-away conveyor. To reach the groceries or other items conveyed by the take-away conveyor, a bagging clerk must extend out over the cover plate. Constant reaching and extension by the bagging clerk is inconvenient, and may be uncomfortable for the bagging clerk. Another downside of the manually-operated retractable take-away conveyors is that the conveyor recess, and therefore the conveyor length, is limited by the length of the rear module recess.
Another check out stand design utilizes a fold-down take-away conveyor that extends between the rear module and the scanner. An example of such a check out stand is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,182,433 to Foster. In scan-and-pass operation, the fold-down conveyor extends horizontally from the trailing edge of the scanner to the leading edge of the rear module. A second take-away conveyor extends along the top surface of the rear module and abuts the trailing edge of the fold-down conveyor. After being scanned, items are placed on the fold-down conveyor, and are conveyed along the fold-down conveyor to the second take-away conveyor. The groceries then move along the second take-away conveyor toward the trailing end of the rear module. If the register clerk wishes to perform a scan-and-bag or walk-through operation, the leading end (closest to the scanner) of the fold-down conveyor is released, and the conveyor is rotated downward about the trailing end (closest to the rear module) of the conveyor so that the fold-down conveyor extends perpendicularly to the floor. A single bag is then inserted adjacent to the trailing end of the scanner, and the register clerk is provided a station which permits convenient scanning and bagging of groceries. When the single bag is removed from the second take-away conveyor, a walk-through space is provided. Because the fold-down conveyor has only two configurations, the scan-and-bag configuration described above cannot be easily provided. In addition, manipulation of the fold-down conveyor and bagging stand are difficult and time consuming. This hindrance may cause a register clerk not to use the different configurations provided by the check out stand.
Thus, there is a need for a check out stand which is easily configurable to allow scan-and-pass, scan-and-bag, and walk-through operations.